Therapies
Rehabilitation Therapies to Help You Recover
We’ve got you covered for every type of condition that requires rehabilitation as part of your recovery. Our services include physical, occupational and speech therapy, cancer and amputee rehabilitation, and electrodiagnostic medicine for neuromuscular conditions. Best of all, we are where you are—we have more than a dozen outpatient locations throughout Northeast Ohio. Call 216-778-4414 to make an appointment.
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Our highly skilled therapists treat a variety of conditions, from the common to the complex. Many of our therapists have advanced training in orthopaedics, sports medicine, the McKenzie Method and more. When you visit MetroHealth for outpatient physical therapy care, we’ll work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan that best meets your needs and recovery goals.
Outpatient rehabilitation services are conveniently located throughout the community. Therapy treatments are available for, but not limited to:
- Amputations
- Back/neck pain
- Bariatric post-op care
- Brain injury
- Hand/elbow/shoulder injuries
- Industrial injuries
- Lymphedema
- Pediatric development concerns
- Spinal cord injury
- Sports injuries
- Stroke
- Swallowing problems
- Total joint and hip/knee/ankle
- Vestibular therapy/dizziness
- Voice changes
- Women’s health
Speech and Language Pathology
MetroHealth’s board-certified speech-language pathologists treat a variety of disorders that impair the understanding or use of language. Patients may be recovering from stroke or brain injury, or living with a neurological condition like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease. Others may have a voice disorder, muscle weakness or apraxia of speech. Our speech therapists help patients regain cognitive abilities that allow them to once again engage and connect with the world.
Therapies include:
- Cognitive communicative treatment
- Language therapy for post-stroke aphasia or other disorders
- Speech therapy rehabilitation for brain or spinal cord injuries
- Swallowing (dysphagia) therapy
- Voice therapy
Cancer Rehabilitation
Our cancer rehabilitation physicians and therapists evaluate the needs of our cancer patients and cancer survivors to develop personalized rehabilitation programs from the time of diagnosis through survivorship and beyond.
Types of Cancer Rehabilitation Services
- Physical therapy and interventional injections to manage pain and neurological changes caused by spinal tumors
- Speech and swallowing therapy for head and neck cancer patients
- Protocol for all surgical breast cancer patients to see a cancer rehabilitation physician and a physical or occupational therapist
Amputee Rehabilitation
Our amputee rehabilitation program serves patients who have undergone amputation of upper or lower limbs resulting from trauma or disease.
Interdisciplinary team:
Our team includes Physical Medicine & Research specialists, physical therapists specially trained for lower limb amputation, occupational and hand therapists trained for upper limb amputation, prosthetists and rehabilitation psychologists.
Post-surgery care:
We coordinate with trauma, orthopaedic and vascular surgeons to anticipate and address postoperative complications and rehabilitation.
Comprehensive care:
Our program features a modern inpatient rehabilitation facility and several locations for outpatient services as patients progress with their recovery.
Getting You Back to What Matters
MetroHealth offers Work Matters, an eight-week program at our main campus which helps:
- Assess your on-the-job skills
- Address barriers to work
- Determine if there are part-time job opportunities for you
After completing Work Matters, you complete a 12-week, unpaid internship program based on your career interests. The Benjamin S. Gerson Family Resource Center at MetroHealth also provides a work simulation program to help you acquire new skills and adapt to unfamiliar workplace settings. You can contact The Gerson Center at 216-778-2388 or Vocational Rehabilitation at 216-778-4414.
Driving involves fine motor skills, and driving in crowded situations can mean making dozens of fast decisions, all at once. Our Driver Rehabilitation Program helps you work on your driving skills as you work through an injury or an illness. Our staff works closely with each patient to work toward independence.
Once you enroll, our occupational therapist evaluates you to determine how well you’re driving behind the wheel on public roads. Then, we’ll develop a plan to improve your driving ability, such as hand controls, wheelchair adaptations, physical therapy, etc.
To schedule an appointment, call 216-778-4414.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who performs the evaluations?
All services are provided by a MetroHealth occupational therapist who is also a Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist, licensed by the Ohio Department of Public Safety as a driving instructor for persons with disabilities.
What if training is necessary?
The Driver Rehabilitation Specialist provides an individualized plan for on-road, behind-the-wheel training or rehabilitation to address problem areas identified during the evaluation. The therapist may also train the driver how to use adaptive equipment to ensure that a person has the skills needed to operate a vehicle safely and effectively, including modified vehicles. This process occurs in a training vehicle provided by The Driver Rehabilitation Program. Vehicle modifications may be recommended—these could include changes to the accelerator, brake or steering control devices, wheelchair or scooter handling options, etc.
What is required to participate in the training?
Participants must meet the following criteria before scheduling an appointment:
- 16 years and older
- Possess a valid (not suspended or expired) driver’s license or temporary permit
- Seizure-free for the last year
- Physician referral or prescription for an Occupational Therapy Driver Evaluation and Rehabilitation program (medical history required)
Is this program covered by insurance?
All insurance policies are different. We will work with the patients to verify if services are covered, determine payment options and/or assist with alternate funding sources.
Benjamin S. Gerson Family Resource Center
The MetroHealth Benjamin S. Gerson Family Resource Center connects you with community resources after a trauma or illness puts your life on hold. The hope is that once these connections are in place, you’ll have the rehabilitation services, knowledge and support needed to get back to your life. We offer this assistance free of charge.
Who We Serve
The Benjamin S. Gerson Family Resource Center serves individuals and their families. We often work with people who have spinal cord injury, stroke, brain injury and orthopedic disabilities.
Assessment
Our certified rehabilitation counselor meets with you and your family for an initial needs assessment. That conversation helps us determine what resources might be helpful for you, including:
- Home health aides and respite care
- Housing and transportation
- Medical equipment
- Mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Preventive care
- Recreation and wellness
- Support groups
- Vocational services
Get Started
While many people are referred to us by their physicians, social workers or therapists, you don’t need a referral. Call 216-778-2388 to make an appointment, or toll-free 866-339-9775.
Support Groups
The Benjamin S. Gerson Family Center hosts Support Trauma and Recovery (STAR). This support group is for people who have experienced physical trauma such as amputation, spinal cord injury, stroke and brain injury.
Our Namesake
The Benjamin S. Gerson Family Resource Center was dedicated in 2004, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Gerson’s children. Mr. Gerson was diagnosed with polio in 1953 and received care at MetroHealth Medical Center. He felt this care allowed him to return to a productive life after his diagnosis, and his children chose to honor his recovery by opening the center.
Electrodiagnostic Medicine
Electrodiagnostic medicine enables our clinicians to hone in on the severity of neurologic and neuromuscular conditions.
Common conditions:
Some of the more common conditions we assess include carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetic polyneuropathy, entrapment neuropathy, radiculopathies, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, polymyositis and muscular dystrophies.
Specialized staff and services:
Our staff includes board-certified electromyographers and a staff of electromyography (EMG) technicians. Our state-of-the-art technology can instantly and automatically upload test results to the electronic medical record.
Multiple locations:
EMG services are available at The MetroHealth Glick Center as well as at five satellite locations in the community.
Convenient, Accessible Location
With more than a dozen outpatient facilities throughout Greater Cleveland, we make it easy to get the rehabilitation care you need. Locations are conveniently located in the communities where our patients live and work.
